History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates.

-1861 909
commission as Colonel on the follho y - — _-j x,iipanying his resignation with
a request that Lieutenant Colonel Biddle, who had been educated in the profession of arms, and had acquired experience on the battle-field in the war with
Mexico, should be commissioned in his place.* This request was acceded to
bythe men at his earnest solicitation. and a second election was held which resited in accordance with his wish. Unwilling to allow so honorable and unsIsh an act to pass without some mark of their appreciation, the captains of.the several idoap:nies passed resolutions soliciting a change of the name from
the ":iRife Regiment," to that of the "Kane Rifle Regiment of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps."t In compliance with his request a special order was
issued foffi headquarters, No. 95, and approved, and made of record by the
War Department, making the change of name as requested, which accordingly
became the official designation. The regiment therefore started into service
with a variety of prenomens: The Forty-second of the line, the Thirteenth
Reserve, the Rifle, the First Rifle, the Kane Rifle, and the Bucktail. The latter ws the popular name, known and read of all; it was the name it bore in
the army, and was known throughout the world where the record of our great
warfare was read.
-On the 21st of June, the regiment, together with the Fifth, Colonel Simmons,
and- Barr's Battery, was ordered to the support of Colonel Wallace, at Cumberland, Maryland. Proceeding by rail to Hopewell, Bedford county, it marched
thence to Bedford Springs, a distance of twenty-three miles-its first march.
On the 27th, the command proceeded to the State line, a distance of about forty
mies,:where was established Camp Mason and Dixon. Two weeks later, Colonel Wallaces regiment having been ordered to Martinsburg to join the command of General Patterson, this portion of Maryland was left open to the enemy.
A mounted force undertheqleadership of Colonel Angus M'Donald was destroying, unchecked, the property of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, and at the
earnest solicitation of the officers of the road, the command broke camp on the
7th of July, and marched to Cumberland, occupying the camp which Colonel
Wallace had vacated. On the 12th, a seouting party of sixty men, under command of LieutenantColonel Kane, went forward and crossed into Virginia. At
New Creek Villagethe party was surrounded by MDonald's rebel cavalry, but
bythe skillful management of Kane, the rebels were worsted in a sharp skirmish
that ensued, and driven away with theloss of eight killed and double the number: wounded. The scouts escaped without injury. Colonel Biddle moved with
his entirecommand to their relief, and immediately dispatched Kane with two
hundred men to follow the retreating enemy. Heecameup with them at-Ridge*. IETTEB OF COLONEL, KANE TO'GOVERNOR CURTIN, JUNE 13,.1861.-"SIR: I this day
resign the post of Colonel of the Rifle Regiment of the Reserve Volunteer Corps of Pennsylvania, respectfllypresenting for appointment by you, to fill my place, Lieutenant Colonel
Chiries J.'Biddle, of Philadelphia, whose merits as an officer and a gentlemen need no other
advocacy.on my part." -'-BRESOLUoTIONS.-Resolved, That in accepting the resignation of our Colonel, and electing
another officer in his place, which we do because he insists upon it-and calls on us to give
proof of ur attachment and confidence in him by this sacrifice of feeling-we desire not to be
forgotten Colonel Kane's self-devotion; therefore be it
B:solved, That we respectfully solicit *Major General M'Call, if there is no rule in the service toprevent his doing so, to change the name of our regiment from the " Rifle Regiment of
the Pennsylvania Reserve,"-to that of "Kane Rife Regiment of the Pennsylvania Reserve."
[Signed.] H.M'Donald, John Eldred, E. A. Irvin, Roy Stone, Philip Holland, Langhorn Wistar, A. E. Niles, William T. Blanchard.